Sweet Tea and Subtleties
by Scandalacious Intentions
Summary: Lupin slammed a red envelope on the kitchen table. "It's not a Howler. It's a Valentine's card."


**Disclaimer: Insert witty remark about Harry Potter belonging to Rowling here.**

**A/N: Happy Valentine's Day. For once, I am not a bitter cynic about it.**

"Are you fucking around with me?"

Sirius raised his eyebrows and took a sip of tea. "Remus, I haven't 'fucked around' for about fifteen years."

Lupin slammed a red envelope on the kitchen table. "I'm talking about _this_."

"Ooh. Who's sent you a Howler?"

Lupin rolled his eyes. "It's not a Howler. It's a bloody Valentine's card. Recognise it?"

"Should I?"

Lupin sighed. "Did you send it?"

Sirius sighed dramatically in return, mockingly. "How many times must we have this conversation? You're just not my type, Moony. It's time you moved on."

"Oh, how very funny you are, Sirius. I'm surprised I have managed not to split a side over our far too many years together."

Sirius drained his mug. "Given the context of this conversation, I would prefer it if you didn't refer to our friendship as 'many years together'."

Lupin clicked his tongue but let the matter drop, taking the seat opposite his best friend turned housemate. "So who _did_ send it? No-one else is deluded enough to think this is funny."

"Maybe it's not supposed to be funny. Maybe someone likes you."

Lupin narrowed his eyes, highly suspicious of the smile playing on Sirius' lips. "Stop laughing at me."

"I'm not laughing at you," said Sirius, raising his hands palms up in surrender. "I'm laughing at whoever sent it to you. Surely they'd know you were a miserable sod who wouldn't take it in the spirit intended."

"I'm not a miserable sod. What do you think I should do?"

"Well," said Sirius, whispering in a conspiratorial manner, "this is just an idea, wild though it may seem to you, but why don't you open it?"

"Because I'm not sure I believe you when you say it's not your idea of a joke. I still haven't forgotten my fifteenth birthday card when you shrunk a load of poisonous snakes, shoved them inside and gave the envelope a good shake."

"Remus, we were teenagers. It was funny. I mean, Merlin, I'm thirty-five and it's _still_ funny."

"No. It's not."

Lupin snatched his envelope, peering at the handwriting as he stalked up the stairs. He bit his lip, not noticing as Mrs. Black burst into a frantic tirade about his presence in her hallway. He strolled up to her and flashed her the envelope.

"Have you seen this before?"

"_Half-breed spawn of blood traitor filth!_"

"I'll take that as a 'No' then, shall I?" he said, absentmindedly drawing her curtains.

He ran his fingers over the envelope, tracing the slight scrawl that managed to look hurried but pretty. The 'R' had an ostentatious loop that he traced idly with the tip of his forefinger.

"Are you going to open that or frame it?" asked Sirius, taking a large bite out of an apple.

"What are you doing up here?"

"I'm sorry. I had rather thought I might have the freedom to move about my own house. Just open it."

The card was blank and Lupin frowned, thinking himself far too old for this. "Do you recognise the handwriting?"

Sirius shook his head. "Though I should think it was painfully obvious who sent it." He made his way up the stairs, ignoring Lupin's awed stare and occasional calls of "Who?"

"Wotcher."

Lupin jumped and hid the envelope behind the nearest vase. "Tonks."

"You lot haven't started without me, have you? Or am I early?"

Lupin nodded. "Afraid so."

"Good. You can make me a cup of tea then." She beamed at him. "God knows I need one. It's not easy being single on Valentine's Day. People look at you pityingly and I am convinced the card I got through the door was from my mother."

Lupin couldn't help but smile back. "I sent myself one once so that when the other boys opened theirs, I'd at least have one."

Tonks laughed. "Oh, I can't believe girls wouldn't send you cards."

"I used to get a lot of chocolate," he said. "I only ate it when I was nervous but I spent a lot of time in Hogwarts being nervous and…I'm sorry. I'm rambling."

"I like it when you ramble."

Lupin laughed nervously. "I think you're the only person who does. Even my mother starts clicking her tongue and glancing at her watch."

Tonks slapped his arm playfully. "Oh, you don't half make me laugh. Almost enough to make me not need that tea. _Almost._"

Her eyes shone and Lupin, knowing it was cliché, gazed into them, captivated by their almost flirtatious twinkle.

"Um…well…I'd uh…come down to the kitchen and-"

"Would you do me an immense favour?"

Lupin's eyes widened. "That would all depend on what that favour was."

"Would you mind me clinging to you so that I don't make a tit of myself on the stairs?"

He grinned, the Marauder within unable to resist. "Of course not. I'd hate to see you do yourself an injury."

Her arm linked with his felt entirely natural and Lupin found himself rather enjoying her presence there. Of course, he reminded himself, this was purely because she was an attractive young woman. It had nothing to do with the way she made him laugh or the glances he shared with her when both knew exactly what the other was thinking or their mutual love of sweet tea. It certainly had nothing to do with wanting her to stay there forever.

"Thanks," she said, removing her arm slowly from his and perching herself on a kitchen counter.

"A pleasure. If ever you need a crutch, you have only to ask."

She smiled, tucking a stray strand of vivacious pink hair behind her ear. "Good to know. Though I should warn you that I need one so often that you may have to be on constant alert."

"Would you like to install some sort of alarm about my person?"

Her laughter was almost a girlish giggle in response and Lupin raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"So," she said, clearing her throat, "did Cupid bring you anything? More chocolate perhaps?"

Lupin, glad that he was busy filling the kettle, blushed. "Um…I suppose."

"You suppose? Well, did he or didn't he?"

"I had a card," Lupin told her, his embarrassment now in check.

She leant forward, her elbows resting on her knees. "Who from?"

"I've no idea," he answered truthfully. "I don't recall ever seeing the handwriting before. I thought it might have been your delightful cousin's idea of a joke."

Tonks smiled ruefully. "Maybe, though it's not the sort of thing I think he'd go for. Still, you know him better than I do so…" She trailed off and accepted her mug of steaming tea, so sweet that it was almost syrup, grateful to have something to do with her hands.

Lupin shook his head. "It's a little too subtle for Padfoot. He wouldn't be able to resist taking it too far."

She took a sip of tea and said, "Do you really not have a clue?"

Lupin shook his head. "It shouldn't really matter."

"But it does?"

He shrugged. "I have to admit that I'm curious."

"Well," said Tonks, winking at him, "who wouldn't be? Perhaps you could go undercover for me with those super-spy-skills that everyone raves about and find out who sent mine."

He flashed her a quick smile. "We'll see. My efforts are not proving to be fruitful. I may have to admit that these alleged super-spy-skills have left me."

"Nonsense. You're just not picking up on all the hints she's left you."

Lupin raised his eyebrows. "What makes you so sure it's a woman?"

Tonks shrugged. "Let's work it out, shall we? To leave it here for you, the sender would have to know you were living here and have the opportunity to leave it, making them a member of The Order. I hardly think any of the lads, even for a laugh, would be caught leaving a Valentine's card for you. So it was sent by a woman."

"Very good," Lupin admitted. "I may have to step down from my position as super-spy-extraordinaire."

Tonks shook her head. "That's not observation. That's logic. That's why I'm an Auror."

Lupin grinned mischievously. "So now I know why they let you stick around."

"Wow, Remus. I nearly broke a rib."

* * *

_It's from me_.

Lupin stared intently at the note as though trying to burn a hole through it. He crumpled it in his free hand and pocketed it as he scribbled hurried notes. Offering to take the minutes of Order meetings, he decided, was by far the worst thing he had ever gotten himself into.

"That's all for tonight," said Kingsley, summing up what had been an hour long Q&A session on Death Eater activity in the North of England that had left Lupin's right hand numb.

With the Order filing out of Sirius' kitchen, he risked pulling out the note that had been flung at his head during Emmeline Vance's longwinded half-question-half-rant.

"You're getting paranoid," said a voice over his shoulder.

Lupin swung round. "Oh, it's you."

Tonks smiled softly. "Don't sweat the small stuff. If it worries you that much, you might as well know that it was me."

This took a moment to sink in.

"I'm sorry, _what_?"

Tonks winced. "I sent it to you. The card, I mean. Well, the card _and_ the note obviously."

"Oh. Well, um…thanks for letting me know."

She sighed and said, "I had to. I'd hate to see you do yourself an injury. Goodnight."

Lupin got to his feet, almost leaping up the stairs to street level. "Tonks?"

She flung on her cloak and refused to turn and meet his eye. "You don't have to be Saint Remus, OK? Don't try to find a nice way of doing this because there isn't one."

Lupin shoved his hands in his pockets, terrified that his right arm was about to snake upwards and start playing with his fringe. It was a nervous habit that he privately thought was the bane of his life.

"I was wondering what you were doing on Saturday night. I've got the night off and I know you have too because I looked it up. I thought maybe if you'd like, I could buy you a drink. If you're busy or you've got plans then it doesn't matter. I just…wondered and…"

He was immediately silenced by a quick kiss.

"I lied."

"Pardon?"

"When I said I liked it when you rambled. I lied."

Lupin pressed his lips together and hummed his response.

"So don't do it on Saturday night."


End file.
